Celebrating special days is enjoyable and when they are celebrated meaningfully, they add to their significance. Fathers also have a day set to celebrate their fatherhood, just like every other special occasion. This day is celebrated to express unwavering gratefulness to the superhero figure of every child’s life.

A father is a mentor, an inspiration, a motivator and a support system all throughout life. This day serves as a reminder of the crucial part fathers play in guiding and moulding the lives of their children. The day offers a chance to consider the sacrifices fathers make and the positive impact they have on their families.

When is Father’s Day 2023?

One interesting aspect about Father’s Day is that, unlike most other special days, it doesn’t have a set date. But every year, it falls on the third Sunday in June and is observed in a number of nations including the United States, India, the United Kingdom, Canada and others. On the other hand, some nations—including Australia, Norway, Sweden, Finland and so on celebrate this holiday at other times of the year. In 2023, Father’s Day will be celebrated on 18 June.

How Father’s Day Originated

Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, is credited for coming up with the concept for Father’s Day in the United States. She wished to pay tribute to her own Civil War veteran father, William Smart. On a farm in the eastern part of Washington, William had raised his children alone.

In 1909, Sonora proposed the idea of Father’s Day to The Spokane Ministerial Alliance. This day was initially supposed to be observed on June 5, the day of her father’s birthday. However, the clergy did not have enough time to compose their inaugural sermons. Father’s Day was thus celebrated for the first time in 1910 on the third Sunday in June. In 1972, US President Richard Nixon signed a proclamation honouring Father’s Day as an official, nationwide holiday in the United States. This served as an inspiration for Father’s Day festivities in other nations.

Father’s Day Celebration in India

Father’s Day is a time for bonding and forming enduring memories. In India, Father’s Day acts as a reminder of the crucial part fathers play in influencing the lives of their children. A lot of people in India also use this occasion to express gratitude and recognition to the important male influences in their lives.

On this particular day, several NGOs work and honour fathers all over the world. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one such organisation that provides a school lunch as an incentive for people with limited opportunities to send their children to school and help them pursue their dreams, Akshaya Patra upholds the spirit of Father’s Day.

Akshaya Patra, with the help of the government and our donors, channelises resources through the PM POSHAN Abhiyaan (formerly known as the Mid-Day Meal Programme), to ensure that these fathers worry less about the nutrition of their children. Under this programme, we serve regular mid-day meals to over 2 million children in more than 22,000 government and government-aided schools across 15 states and 2 UTs in India.

When you support The Foundation, you are also helping fulfil a father’s dream of seeing his child eat at least one nutritious meal every day and focus on academics and other activities. Feed children in need by supporting Akshaya Patra’s Mid-Day Meal Programme. Donate online to provide cooked meals with ₹1,500.

To all fathers who work tirelessly to support their families, Happy Father’s Day! We collectively honor and salute you!

On April 22, 2023, we launched our new kitchen in Barsana, Uttar Pradesh. It will be our 67th kitchen in the country and 6th unit in the state, made possible due to the generous contribution of Shri Gagan Hasteer. This momentous event marked another milestone in our ongoing efforts to alleviate hunger and our commitment to promoting nutrition for education across India.

The new cooking facility can prepare 5,000 mid-day meals per day. It has also been designed with a community hall to organise training and workshops for its staff, in adherence to the Kaizen, CI Projects and Six Sigma methodologies that we follow across all our kitchens.

Barsana Kitchen’s mid-day meal menu will comprise Roti, Pulav, Kheer, Chanadal Loki, Tehari, Dal and Kala Chana curry as they are essential components of the local diet. Through this locally palatable menu, we aim to reach out to more children in the region, encourage them to come to school, avoid food wastage and contribute to their overall development under the Central Government’s PM POSHAN Abhiyaan.

The new kitchen is also our first-of-its-kind all-women-run community kitchen with the distinction of having more than 80% women employees. About 20% of its workforce will be men to look after the technical operations. With this new move, we seek to empower local women with financial independence, decision-making power and technical skills.

We are immensely grateful to the Government of Uttar Pradesh for its constant support towards our initiatives. Through the Barsana kitchen, the sixth kitchen in the state, we will continue to implement various government feeding programmes and impact the lives of those who need our support.

In conclusion, it truly takes a village to achieve such a feat!
We are grateful to our dedicated team, donors, supporters and partners, who played a pivotal role in bringing this project to fruition. Let’s celebrate this achievement and look forward to the future with renewed determination and optimism.

If you wish to be a part of the solution with us, you can contribute towards PM POSHAN Abhiyaan through online donations or volunteer to help serve mid-day meals to our young and bright beneficiaries. Not only will you help build their futures, but also take home everlasting happiness and tax benefits.

So, let’s come together to continue fighting against malnutrition and serve more underprivileged communities until we achieve a sustainable and inclusive future for all.

Join our team of hunger warriors today!